Now what are we supposed to do?

So, what now?  I've made a full confession of my heart, and to some it may feel like I've abandoned faith, religion, church, but hear me when I say, no I haven't.  I still feel called to pastor, to help others on their journey find their way.  I think it is up to each one of us to find our path, our truth, and to live it out as courageously, honestly, compassionately, and generously as we can, without denying but actually affirming the paths of others, at least the ones that do not cause harm.  And yet even they are on a path, broken, violent, and painful though it may be, and need even more help, sometimes more than we are able to give.  Still don't have an answer for that one.


In her book The Great Emergence, author Phyllis Tickle wrote that the ultimate task of our time, every time humanity goes through a major spiritual upheaval and transformation, is to answer the question, by what authority shall we live?  (Rather than provide a link to the book, I encourage you to get a copy and read it.  It was published in 2008.  Only 224 pages in paperback.)  Certainly religion, scripture, clergy, and faith institutions do not have the authority they once did.  Many people take some or all of those into account, but also reason, education, life experience, culture, society, family, friends, etc., with at least equal, if not more, weight and consideration.


Even so, like in the video above, it can be tempting to believe that someone other than ourselves and our communities can have the answers or the power to save us.  Our celebrity culture feeds this relentlessly.  Even the Church raises its own "rock stars" like William Barber, Diana Butler Bass, Molly Phinney Baskette, Tracy Blackmon, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Rachel Held Evans, Carol Howard Merritt (wonderful that most of the ones that first came to mind are women).  We need our prophets and yet who are the prophetic voices that need amplifying, that come from places we think nothing good ever comes from, give no credence to, or just plain flat out ignore?


What about you?  What about your voice?  By what authority do you live and who else knows about it?  With whom do you consult when you check your opinions, knowledge, ignorance, privilege?  If you had a name for your path, what would it be?  Have you ever stepped off your path, into the unknown, to see what was there?


I believe our source of authority is moving toward our own wisdom and knowledge in conversation with and responsibility to a wider community of some kind.  The challenge is for each of us to own our authority, to affirm the path we are on, and to live peaceably and justly with others.  Of course, this is an evolution and, like most historic transformations, it won't happen without pain, bad decisions, power grabs, and a hefty dose of self-serving motivation (see certain members of Congress).


And so we cannot give up hope.  We cannot give up the path of unconditional love, radical forgiveness, fearless compassion, and restorative justice for the sake of temporary security and safety.  We must keep on the journey, though we may not know the way.  As poet Antonio Machado wrote, "Wanderer, there is no road; the road is made by walking."  And by moving, any which way we can.  Peace to you, my companions on the way.







March 16 I leave Sedona and return to the road.  Albuquerque; Amarillo (my birthplace); Oklahoma City; Little Rock; Nashville; Pleasant Hill, TN (preaching at Pleasant Hill Community Church UCC); Hendersonville, NC (to visit Bakersville, NC to look up my dad's old house); Chapel Hill/Durham (to see Matt B. and Samantha O. and hopefully Hannah C.); Norfolk, VA and then up the coast of Maryland and Delaware to home.  I-95 is no way to end a road trip such as this.


I'll be posting videos and photos of the trip on Instagram.  You can find me here.


Sabbatical ends April 7.  I hope that the conversation continues when I return.  See you soon!